announcing jehovah's kingdom - Watchtower Archive

172 3lieWATCHTOWER.. BROOKLYN, N. Y.
God; that we might know the things that are freely
given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not
in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the
spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with
spiritual words." (1 Cor. 2: 10-13, Am. Stan. Ver.)
Like them, we can profitably learn things from the
way the spirit operates.
TESTIFYING, INTERCEDING
33 Weare now prepared to understand how the
holy spirit testifies to persons who are spiritual children
of God and how it intercedes for them. Paul,
under inspiration of the spirit, writes: "The spirit
itself testifies together with our spirit, that we are
children of God. And if children, also heirs; heirs,
indeed, of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if,
indeed, we suffer together, so that we may be also
glorified together.... but ourselves also, possessing
the first-fruit of the spirit, even we ourselves groan
within ourselves, waiting for sonship,-the redemption
of our body. For we were saved by the hope; ...
And in like manner also the spirit assists our weakness;
for we do not know what we should pray for
as we ought; but the spirit itself intercedes with
'unspoken groans, and he who searches the hearts
knows what is the mind of the spirit, because according
to God it intercedes on behalf of saints."-Rom.
8: 16, 17, 23-27, Diaglott; Rotherham.
3. Those Christians whom God has begotten to be
his children as joint-heirs with Christ he has anointed
with His spirit. This anointing or unction teaches
them, as above explained; and, by the things that it
reveals to them from God's written Word, it bears
witness to them that they are God's spiritual children.
It makes plain on the pages of the written
Word of God that the promised Seed of Abraham in
whom all the nations are to be blessed is Jesus Christ,
.the Son of God. Also, those who become his footstep
followers are adopted by God to be his heirs with
Jesus Christ the Seed, and thus they are made the
sons of God. (Gal. 3: 8, 16, 27-29) By his revealed
written Word God sets before these sons the hope of
being joined with Jesus in the heavenly kingdom.
Now, all of God's written Word was produced under
inspiration of His spirit (2 Tim. 3: 15-17); and so
by this Word it is really the holy spirit that is testifying
to these Christians that they are the begotten
children of God. Also, by the spirit's operations in
their lives, just as in the lives of Peter, Paul and
other disciples, the spirit bears further witness to
them concerning their sonship to God.
35 Owing to their bodily imperfections, weaknesses
and inclinations to sin, these Christians groan or
sigh deeply within themselves, because they desire
33. To whom does the spirit testify. and why Intercede for them?
34. How does the spirit bear witness to their being sons of God?
35. How does the spirit assist their weakness Or Infirmities?
to be free from sin and to do the will of God perfectly.
But the hope that God by his spirit has implanted
in their hearts helps them to bear up and
not to be overcome with discouragement. The spirit
thus helps our weaknesses or infirmities, counterbalancing
the effect of these upon us. Our inward
groans or sighs often remain unexpressed, unuttered,
because we do not understand our situation and we
are at a loss what to express. We want to pray, but
exactly what to pray for under certain circumstances
we do not know, and mere groans and sighing would
not help. It is here the spirit intercedes for US; not
meaning, of course, that it is a person that must
utter indescribable groans and sighs for us.
Ia How, then, does it intercede t In this way: God
foresaw and foretold our experiences as a Christian
congregation. In his Word, which is inspired by
means of his spirit, he foretold we would come into
certain situations. By that same spirit-inspired Word
he caused prophetic prayers to be recorded that fit
our situations. He caused prophecies to be recorded
that foretold how we should be brought up out of
such situations and be continued in his further service.
Because we do not understand the prophecies
and prophetic prayers, we do not know exactly how
to express ourselves and the right thing for which
to pray. If we understood the prophecies and the
immediate purposes of God, we should pray for just
that. But God knows his times and seasons, and he
knows what was written down in his Word through
his spirit, and he knows how such written things
apply to us and when. He knows what is the mind
of the spirit, or what is the meaning of those spiritinspired
prophecies and prayers, and he lets these
intercede for us. He accepts these as being what we
should like to ask and pray for, and, accordingly,
he fulfills them. Afterward he reveals to us by the
power of his spirit how these prophecies have been
fulfilled toward us, and we see that it is just what
we should have asked for, had we known and understood.
The remnant of faithful Christians since
A.D. 1918 can particularly appreciate this fact.
37 All things considered, God's Word agrees with
itself on what the holy spirit is. By his Word we have
been testing the spirits, or inspired utterances of
these times, to prove whether they are of God or of
demons. We have proved that the religious utterances
regarding a "trinity" are inspired by the
demons, under Satan their prince. On the other hand,
we have proved that his holy spirit is the invisible
active force or energy by which Almighty God performs
his will. By the help received through the foregoing
articles may we be better informed on how to
try the spirits in the future, that we may prove and
may accept only what is of God through Christ.
36. How does the spirit Intercede, God knowing Its mind?
37. Summlnll: up, what has our teet proved as to trinity and spirit?